Sun and shade leaves? Cuticle ultrastructure of Jurassic Komlopteris nordenskioeldii (Nathorst) Barbacka

Abstract

An ultrastructural transmission electron microscope (TEM) study of fossil leaf cuticles from the Jurassic pteridosperm Komlopteris nordenskioeldii (Nathorst) Barbacka from the Mecsek Mountains (South Hungary) was conducted. Remnants of cuticles of leaves originating from so-called “sun and shade” environments were sectioned with a diamond knife, transversally as well as longitudinally. Although the present study showed a simple type of cuticle in this pteridosperm, differences were observed in the occurrence of its components, such as electron lucent amorphous material and various densities of granules, which give rise to different zones. The included fibrilous elements appeared to be made of aggregated and aligned granules, equivalent in size and electron density to nearby non-fibrilous granular regions. The combinations of these ultrastructural features allow distinctions between four types of cuticle: sun upper, sun lower, shade upper and shade lower. Considering the distinction made earlier in two types of cuticle and supposed to be related to sun and shade on the basis of macroscopical and microscopical features, four types only on the basis of differences in thickness, the present study reinforces the distinctions with ultrastructural microcharacteristics. As this study shows the variations in ultrastructure of cuticle among the four types, the differences observed may reveal the great sensitivity of some plants to environment. At the same time, it points out the importance, in ultrastructural studies of cuticles, of studying a number of samples for one taxon.